Judge Ethelyn N. Simpson was appointed to the State Court of Athens-Clarke County by Governor Sonny Perdue in December 2007.

A native of Savannah, Georgia, she received her undergraduate degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and her law degree from the University of Georgia.

Prior to serving in State Court, she was an Assistant Solicitor for Athens-Clarke County, then Municipal Court Judge of Athens-Clarke County, and later part-time Associate Magistrate Court Judge of Athens-Clarke County.